Automatic filling nozzle



Dec. 23, 1952 E. GIGER AUTOMATIC FILLING NOZZLE Filed June 14, 1949 Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 14, 1949, Serial No. 99,011 In Switzerland May 25, 1948 The present invention relates to an automaticfilling apparatus particularly designed for liquids, in which the principle of arranging the suction air control ensures automatic stoppage of the filling process in any position.

In order to prevent the liquid which is drawn into the air-conduit projecting into a container during the filling of said container when the liquid reaches the open end of the air-conduit, from rising into the diaphragm chamber and impeding the operation of the diaphragm, the present invention provides for a separation or discontinuity of the air-conduit leading at one end into the container to be filled and opening at the other'into the diaphragm chamber, into two major portions which open concentrically into an air suction device in a manner permitting liquid drawn into the air-conduit to be withdrawn downwardly before entering an air suction chamber therefor so that the air suction persists in the air suction chamber until the flow of the liquid is discontinued and also can freely effect the withdrawal of air from the diaphragm chamber to produce the negative pressure (vacuum) necessary for the operation of the diaphragm.

In order to prevent the negative or vacuum pressure produced in the diaphragm chamber and which normally would persist after the release of the fluid valve closing elements, from sucking liquid up into the diaphragm chamber, and thereby impeding the operation of the diaphragm, the invention provides for the control of the air-conduit by means of an air valve in a portion of said conduit communicating with the atmosphere, arranged and cooperating with the valve closing elements in such a manner that as soon as the negative pressure or vacuum produced in the diaphragm chamber has operated the diaphragm and thereby, the fluid closing elements, the air valve which had been kept in the closed position during the filling process will at the same time be opened so that air at atmospheric pressure flowing into the diaphragm chamber will at once destroy the vacuum therewithin, and thus prevent any liquid from being sucked thereinto.

The attached drawing shows a section of a typical embodiment of the invention.

The automatic filling apparatus is arranged in a valve casing I on which is attached a pipe 2 for immersion in the vessel to be filled. In the valve casing I there is arranged a fluid passage 3 which by means of a hose (not illustrated) may be attached to a tank not shown. This fluid passage leads from the mentioned hose to the pipe 2 and when the automatic apparatus is not used it is closed by a valve 4. The valve 4 is slidably arranged within the following casing I and is under the action of a spring 5, it is equipped with 3 Claims. (Cl. 226-127) air-suction device aco-axial pin I provided at its end with an annular shoulder B, said pin cooperates in a manner later to be described with members which operate the valve 4.

Within the valve casing I there is pivotally mounted a manually operable lever 43 which is used for opening the valve 4. The lever 43 for this purpose is by means of elements 8 pivotally connected with the valve lifting member 40 which in the valve casing I is slidably guided along a rod III and is subjected to the action of a spring 9. A bell crank lever I I is pivotally mounted on the valve lifting member 50 and the lever II is under the action of a leaf spring I2 and has two dogs I3 and I4 of which the one, namely I3, cooperates with the annular shoulder 6 and the other dog I4 cooperates with a sleeve 4| which is slidably mounted in the valve casing I and is under the action of a spring I511. The valve lifting member 40 is also provided with a nose 39 which is movable, and abuts a bell crank lever 36 which is pivotally mounted in the valve casing I about a pin 31. In the valve casing I there is also arranged a diaphragm 32 subjected to the action of a spring I6 which diaphragm 32 is provided with a co-axial rod I! on which a pivotally mounted locking member I8 is positioned within the valve casing I. The locking member I8 engages, in the position as shown in the drawing, a shoulder 42 of the sleeve 4| and maintains this sleeve against the action of the spring I5a in its tensioned position.

In that portion of the conduit 3 arranged between the valve 4 and the filling pipe 2 there is arranged a valve I9 under the action of a spring which during the passage of fluid will be opened against the action of its spring and closes again when the fluid flow ceases. The valve I9 is guided in a pipe 2| connected with the pipe 2. The inner configuration pipe 2| is in the shape of a Venturi tube and is connected over an air suction chamber I5 and an air suction device I3 with a pipe 22 leading to the pipe 2;

The air-conduit 20 leading from the mouth I8 into the diaphragm chamber 3| is separated into two reciprocally acting air-conduit portions 20b and 20c by a section 20a in such a manner that said portions open concentrically through the section 20a into air-suction chamber I5 of the I3. Furthermore, another portion 20d-of the air-conduit leads from the diaphragm chamber 3i to the out-side atmosphere. The opening 20c is opened and closed by an air valve 33. Said air valve is slidably arranged in bores 43 and provided with a shoulder ring 34 controlled on the one side by a spring 35 and on the other by a forked lever 36. Said lever swivels on pivot 31 rigidly mounted in the casing of the apparatus and is provided with a nose or boss 38 at its end which co-cperates with the valve closing elements.

The operation is as follows:

When the fluid'is to be dispensed, the filling apparatus with its pipe 2 is inserted into the container to be filled and the lever 43 is rotated manually in the direction of the arrow :0. In doing this the members 8 move the valve lifting member 40 against the action of the spring 9 in the direction of the arrow y parallel to its longitudinal direction. This displacement has the following result. First, the valve lifting member 40 releases with its nose 3% the nose 33 of the bell crank lever 36 so that under the action of the spring 35, the bell crank lever 36 is rotated about its axis 31 in counterclockwise directionso that the valve 33 is moved into its closed position. Immediately after the release of the bell crank lever 36, the other bell crank lever l I moves with its dog l4 away from the range of the shoulder 42 and by means of its leaf spring l2 it is moved counterclockwise so far that its dog i3 engages the annular shoulder 6 of the pin 1 on the valve 4. As soon as this is accomplished, the valve 4 is raised from its seat against the action of its spring so that the fluid enters the container to be filled whereby at the same time the valve 19 is opened under the pressure of the fluid.

As soon as the liquid level in the container being filled rises to the end of the filling pipe 2, the 7 opening l8 of the air pipe 20-h is closed and now under the action of the Venturi pipe 2!, due to the fluid in the portion 29-1) of the air line, sucks in air which comes fromthediaphragm chamber 3| and the portion 28-41. Since the air line 28, ZG-c and Zfl-d, owing to the opening of the valvefl is closed by the valve 33, there will be produced in the diaphragm chamber 3! a vacuum under the action of which the diaphragm 3| in a manner still to be described closes the valve 6 immediately and, therefore, shuts off any additional fluid flow. The fluid which has entered the air line 26-11 is unable to reach the rear portion of the Venturi device and the part 23-11 arranged in the rear thereof. The fluid sucked into the line 29-13, however, is conducted in each position of the filling apparatus with safety and in view of the described arrangement of the leg 20-0, into the pipe22 and, therefore, reaches the pipe 2. During the mentioned admittance of the fluid into the air line 23-13, there takes place an automatic closure of the valve 4 in the following manner. As soon as the diaphragm chamber 3! has therein the desired low pressure, the diaphragm 32 is deflected against the action of its spring Hi. This results in a release of the sleeve 4| by the locking member if The sleeve 4| moves quickly under the action of its spring l5a upwardly and engages the dog is of the bell crank lever [I so that the latter is moved clockwise while its dog I 3 releases the annular shoulder B ofgthe-pin I on the valve t. Immediately after this release, the valve 5 moves quickly, under the action of the spring 5, in its closed position and this, takes place, assoon as the pressure of the fluid-closes the valve !9. The fluid line 3 is now automatically. shut off so that a further flow of the fluidintothe pipe 2 and into the'container is interrupted.

Furthermore, during this mentioned movement ofthe sleeve M; the nose 38 of the lever 36 is engaged whereby it is moved in such a manner that the lever 36 rotates clockwise and in doing this the valve 33 of the air line is moved into open position against the action of its spring 35. The

discharge of the fluid is now automatically shut off even though the hand lever 43 and the valve lifting member 59 connected therewith are still in their operating position in which the discharge has begun.

As soon as the hand lever 43 is released it returns under the action of the spring 9 into the position illustrated in the drawing and the valve lifting member 50 returns into the rest position illustrated in the drawing in which the nose 38 of the bell crank 36 is engaged and in which the dog Hi of the bell crank lever ll engages the shoulder 42 of the sleeve 4| after the latter has been returned to its initial position in which again the locking member !3 engages the shoulder 42 of the sleeve 4|.

All parts are now in the initial position illustrated in the drawing and remain in the latter until such time as the lever 43 is again operated in order to start a new discharge cyclev Attention is called to the fact that the air suction device inclusive of the two legs 26a, which are arranged in the air suction chamber, may also be arranged outside of the valve casing.

What I claim is:

1. In a filling apparatus for liquids, a casing, a diaphragm chamber within said casing, a diaphragm defining one wall of said chamber and adapted to flex when a predetermined pressure is developed within said chamber, a liquid discharge pipe, an air conduit extending from the discharge end of the discharge pipe to said chamber, a fluid valve for controlling the flow of fluid through said discharge pipe, means for manually opening said fluid valve, and a Venturi tube connecting said discharge tube and fluid valve and being in communication with said air conduit and operable when the end of the air conduit adjacent the end of the discharge pipe becomes immersed in liquid, for drawing air out of said chamber, said diaphragm flexing when a predetermined pressure is thereby reached within said chamber, means operable by said diaphragm for automatically closing said fluid valve when the diaphragm is flexed, a portion of said air conduit additionally extending from said chamber and communicating with the atmosphere, an air valve in said last mentioned portion of the air conduit, and means for automatically closing said air valve when said fluid valve is opened.

2. In a filling apparatus according to claim 1, a bypass from said air conduit around said Venturi tube and provided with means for discharging liquid drawn up within the portion of the air conduit adjacent the end of the discharge pipe before it is drawn into the Venturi tube.

In a filling apparatus. for liquids according to claim 1, said portion of the air conduit extending from and communicating the diaphragm. chamber and the atmosphere, being arranged diametrically opposite from the portion of the air conduit extending from said diaphragm chamber to the end of the discharge pipe.

ERNST GIGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,550,733 Payne Aug. 25, 1925 2,326,251 Piquerez Aug. 10, 1943 2,354,209 Hammand July 25, 1944 

